Simone tells authentic stories of teen life in the 'hood better than any other author currently writing contemporary YA street lit. --Library Journal on Teenage Love Affair (starred review) True story: I'm Gem, G-E-M, like a precious jewel, and my life has been nothing like my name. I've been on my own since I was nine and now I'm sixteen. But so what. I'm good, and so is my little brother. So why the state won't let us do our own thing is beyond me. Instead, we've been forced to live with a foster family who wants to love us, but I'm not beat--I'm just trying to do me. To make matters worse, I've been checking for this guy, Ny'eem. But my new clique has an unbreakable rule--no boyz allowed to come between our friendship--which is forcing me to keep my relationship with Ny'eem a secret. Though not for long. . .because in high school secrets are always exposed, scandals always rewrite the rules, and friendships are never what they seem. . . . "Excitement, drama, and life lessons. . .. Upgrade U is sure to be a classic." --A.J. Byrd, author of Losing Romeo "A new series with a pair of drama-fueled stories about girls looking for love in all the wrong ways." --Publishers Weekly on The Break-Up Diaries